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Manila, Philippines

Went to Manila in the Philippines to attend a workshop. A bay-side city, where the rich history of the country has been preserved. While parts of the city are quite modern, some have retained their colonial architecture, which is used as part of commemorating the past. I was lucky to have met Jalton Taguibao, a fellow participant, who took me to various significant sites.

The fort was built by the Spanish in 1571, destroyed in 1574 and reconstructed + reinforced between 1589 and 1592. It was destroyed again by an earthquake, then reconstructed, after which it was used by the British as their headquarters during their occupation and then converted into a US command centre, after they had conquered the city.

When Japan occupied the Philippines in 1942 during World War 2, the Japanese Military used the Fort as their base where they imprisoned, tortured and executed hundreds of Filipino civilians and guerillas.

Manila Cathedral, also called the Manila Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica, was initially built as a simple parish in Manila in 1571 and was dedicated to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. Since its construction it has been destroyed by war, earthquakes and typhoons, leading to it being reconstructed quite a number of times.